Your DiDi driver is calling you, but you don’t speak Chinese.

You usually don’t need to solve the problem on the phone. Open the ride in DiDi and move the conversation to the in-app chat.

DiDi China says its in-app messaging supports English-Chinese translation, so text is usually much easier than trying to understand a phone call.

Open the chat for your current ride

Go back to your active DiDi ride and open the messaging function.

Send a simple message in English, for example:

Hi, I don’t speak Chinese. Please message me here.

You do not need to find the driver’s personal phone number. DiDi uses its own communication system for contact between riders and drivers.

Find out why the driver is calling

The important question is not what every word on the phone means.

It is:

What does the driver need you to do?

The driver may be trying to confirm your pickup location or find you.

Check the pickup point shown in DiDi and look around you.

At places such as airports, railway stations, shopping malls and large attractions, pay particular attention to:

  • the exit
  • floor or level
  • pickup zone
  • gate
  • nearby signs or landmarks

Use the in-app chat to confirm where the driver expects to meet you.

Don’t start walking somewhere just because the driver called

First compare your actual location with the pickup point shown in the app.

If the driver sends you a different location or asks you to move, work out where that place is before leaving your current position.

A translated message may tell you what the driver said, but you still need to understand what it means for your pickup.

Keep the conversation in text if that is easier

If the driver calls again and you still cannot communicate by voice, you can continue using the in-app chat.

This gives you something you can read, translate and check instead of trying to understand spoken Chinese in real time.

If the driver and you are still unable to find each other, concentrate on the practical problem:

Where are you now, where is the driver, and where can the car actually pick you up?

If you still can’t resolve it, use DiDi support

DiDi China says it provides 24/7 in-app online English customer service for inbound users.

If messaging the driver does not solve the problem, use the customer-service option in the app.

This is especially useful when the issue is no longer simply communication between you and the driver —for example, when you need help with the ride itself or the platform.